Juana Bordas, Inspirational Leader and Author, to Speak at The National Hispanic University

San José, Calif.—October 1, 2013—To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, The National Hispanic University will host Juana Bordas, inspirational speaker, author and president of Mestiza Leadership International—a company that focuses on leadership, diversity and organizational change—on campus Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. to celebrate Latino leadership and culture.

Ms. Bordas' keynote "De Colores: Celebrating Hispanic Culture" will explore the value and richness Latinos bring to their communities and the nation. Through music, interaction and sharing, she will illustrate the powerful, people-oriented and collaborative ways Latinos have led their communities and how Latino leadership can transform the nation.

The youngest daughter in a family of eight, Ms. Bordas emigrated to the U.S. from Nicaragua on a banana boat at the age of 3. She was the first in her family to go to college and learned leadership from her hardworking parents. Her early years instilled in her a desire to give back, to make a contribution, and to assist other Latinos in finding their place in society. After college, she joined the Peace Corps and worked in the barrios of Santiago, Chile, helping women form work cooperatives so they could feed their children. Ms. Bordas later received the Peace Corps' Franklin H. Williams Award for her lifelong commitment to advancing communities of color.

Ms. Bordas is a founder of Denver's Mi Casa Women's Center, the founding president of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI) and the founder of the Circle of Latina Leadership. She was selected as a Wise Woman awardee by the Center for Women Policy Studies, inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame and also named the 2009 Unique Woman of Colorado. Ms. Bordas is the author of Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age and her new book, The Power of Latino Leadership: Culture, Inclusion, and Contribution.

About The National Hispanic University
For more than 30 years, The National Hispanic University has provided Hispanic students and others with access to quality higher education. Located in San José, Calif., the university offers a diverse portfolio of online and campus-based undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in business, education, child development, computer science, criminal justice and psychology. Students are supported in a multicultural and collaborative learning environment that is based on Familia™, a personalized approach that fosters students' success through mutual respect and cultura. The National Hispanic University, a member of the Laureate International Universities network, is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). For more information, visit www.NHU.edu.